efface
to wipe out; do away with; expunge: to efface one's unhappy memories.
to rub out, erase, or obliterate (outlines, traces, inscriptions, etc.).
to make (oneself) inconspicuous; withdraw (oneself) modestly or shyly.
Origin of efface
1Other words from efface
- ef·face·a·ble, adjective
- ef·face·ment, noun
- ef·fac·er, noun
- un·ef·face·a·ble, adjective
- un·ef·faced, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use efface in a sentence
It was a coming-out story of sorts told with self-effacing un-sentimentality.
He was funny and self-effacing, though prone to fits of anger.
‘All Good Cretins Go to Heaven’: Dee Dee Ramone’s Twisted Punk Paintings | Melissa Leon | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“The word ‘discover’ is odd,” says the self-effacing Granik.
Life After ‘Winter’s Bone’: Debra Granik on Finding J. Law and the Plight of the Female Director | Marlow Stern | October 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTCrawforth claims that his subject was unmatched as a taxonomist, and that his self-effacing style elevated his writing.
But his self-effacing, self-aware and humble style makes it accessible and real—and thus particularly valuable.
Seeking Reconciliation with a Terrorist: A Jewish Journey | Lisa Goldman | September 11, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
When she retired from those boards, she found a home with her self-effacing husband in Auteuil, and there died in 1698.
The Stones of Paris in History and Letters, Volume I (of 2) | Benjamin Ellis MartinTo his military ability and self-effacing patriotism he added a far-seeing wisdom in council that could always be relied upon.
Cottrell was an excellent riverman, active as a squirrel and ready to take any chances, but extremely quiet and self-effacing.
The Boss of Wind River | David Goodger (goodger@python.org)She put away at once the fatigue that pressed on her (the gift still "worked" in a flash for the effacing of bodily sensation).
The Flaw in the Crystal | May SinclairI really think you are making a mistake by effacing yourself so readily on all occasions.
The Girls at Mount Morris | Amanda Minnie Douglas
British Dictionary definitions for efface
/ (ɪˈfeɪs) /
to obliterate or make dim: to efface a memory
to make (oneself) inconspicuous or humble through modesty, cowardice, or obsequiousness
to rub out (a line, drawing, etc); erase
Origin of efface
1Derived forms of efface
- effaceable, adjective
- effacement, noun
- effacer, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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